The Fortune Men

Cardiff, 1952. Mahmood Mattan, a young Somali sailor, father of three, gambler and small-time thief, is charged with the brutal murder of Violet Volacki, a shopkeeper in Tiger Bay. Sure of his innocence and of British justice, he thinks at first that he can shrug off the accusation. But as the trial approaches his chances of freedom shrink, and he realises he is fighting for his life against a careless investigation, an unfeeling legal system and racism at every turn. With the hangman's noose in view, he begins to understand that the truth alone may not save him. The novel is based on a real case.

AI-generated summary

About the book

Form

Novel

Genres

Crime, Historical (assigned by AI)

Set in

United Kingdom, 1952

First published

2021

Author's age

40 when first published

ISBN

9780241466940 (Viking, United Kingdom)

9780593534366 (Knopf, United States)

9780241466957 (Viking, United Kingdom)

9780593467435 (Vintage, United States)

More

Wikidata